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my vegan thanksgiving at madeleine bistro with turkey friends!
14November 26th, 2009LA restaurants, madeleine bistroupdate november 2010: madeleine bistro is doing thanksgiving with the turkeys AGAIN this year!! thanksgiving day from 10am – 3pm. this was honestly the most special thanksgiving meal of my life…so i highly suggest you book a table asap. if you aren’t free on thanksgiving day, madeleine bistro is also doing take-out holiday meals. give ’em a call!
hey my fellow herbivores, i hope you all had a lovely holiday and managed to avoid the stench of dead flesh…we sure did! we had a magnificent brunch at one of LA’s top vegan restaurants, madeleine bistro. the los angeles vegan thanksgiving offerings this year were plentiful, so we had quite a hard time deciding where to eat. the deal was pretty much sealed though, when we saw that madeleine bistro would be bringing in healthy, happy turkey friends from animal acres to join in the celebration!
we booked a table for mid-morning and were happy to see that madeleine bistro would be offering not only a thanksgiving five-course fix prixe meal, but also some holiday specials a la carte as well as their regular brunch menu. we were shocked at how crowded the restaurant was with vegan a-listers when we arrived, from famous actors and authors to bloggers like moi. rad, right?! we settled in and ordered some entrees and sides, all of which were excellent and exceeded our expectations.
fresh organic donut with organic fruit compote. $2
we started off with some fresh organic donuts, which we’ve had before, and they were phenomenal. so crispy and sweet on the outside, yet unbelievably light and fluffy within—these set a new standard for animal-free sweets. i can honestly say that the donuts at madeleine bistro are the best i’ve ever had, even trumping the (in)famous ronald’s.
vegan biscuits and gravy. $7
next up, we had an some biscuits and gravy from the holiday specials menu.
i fucking adore biscuits and gravy, and i seriously have to get them whenever they’re available. the portion from madeleine bistro was absolutely amazing. the gravy was thick and meaty-tasting (but not in a gross way)…and while the biscuits were small, they were moist and packed with flavor.
thanksgiving sandwich: herbed seitan, cranberry mayo, caramelized onions, gravy. $15
for our first main course, we ordered the thanksgiving sandwich from the holiday menu. this sandwich is one of the best things i have ever had the pleasure of eating…and i have eaten a lot of stuff! the turkey-style seitan was crispy and pleasantly oily, a perfect compliment to the fluffy vegan mayo and soft warm bread. and the cranberries added the perfect amount of sweetness without being overwhelming.
i know, i know….15 bucks seems like a lot to pay for a sandwich, and i am the first person to bitch when something is overpriced. but this thing was seriously worth it. not only was it massive (the pix don’t do it justice), but the flavor combos were just plain brilliant. my only complaint is that madeleine bistro doesn’t offer this sandwich all year!
the Skillet, tofu scramble, seasonal vegetables, tempeh bacon, home fries. $15
for our second entree we ordered the skillet, which is available year round on the madeleine brunch menu. omg this shit was INSANE. soft, fluffy, and slightly wet tofu all mixed up with fresh vegetables and salty tempeh. it was beautiful. take that, and add in the best home fry potatoes ever (i’m not lying!)…and you have a virtually perfect breakfast. the portion was hearty as well—we ended up with more food than we could eat!
while the food at madeleine bistro was exquisite and we had no complaints, the most special part of our thanksgiving celebration was spending time with the wonderful turkeys from animal acres. on a day when so many animals are slaughtered with perverted notions of joy and thankfulness, it was great to hang out with these beautiful creatures after a completely satisfying vegan meal.
i’m thankful for an awesome and cruelty-free holiday, complete with beautiful birds and amazing food from madeleine bistro.
madeleine bistro
Tags: holidays, thanksgiving, the valley, turkey
18621 ventura blvd
tarzana, ca 91356
818-758-6971
(check the website for hours, it’s complicated)
12 responses to “my vegan thanksgiving at madeleine bistro with turkey friends!” 
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I agree, their vegan donuts really are the best I’ve ever had (other than the one’s I was lucky enough to try from Vegan Bake Sale). Those turkeys are so damn cute… hard to believe anyone could look at such a thing and want to eat it.
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i shoveled the thanksgiving dinner in so fast! absolutely amazing. this really is the best vegan restaurant in LA!
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elliot November 26th, 2009 at 23:04
I should have gone to Madeleine! I went to Native Foods thanks to you but no turkeys.
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Check out this uplifting and inspiring video on why people choose vegan: http://veganvideo.org/
Also see Gary Yourofsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bagt5L9wXGo
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Look at that cute turkey! *love*
Okay, the donuts are good, but better than Ronald’s?! I think it’s a freshness thing, you got Madeleine’s right away, but makes for a MUCH better donut. Still, they are SO good! -
Glad to hear the portions were respectable; I was right irked last time I was at Madeleine’s because the prices had gone up, portions had gone down, and sides had begun to be priced separately. This report definitely gets the old cravings rearing up again!
This year, I am definitely thankful for your site and stellar reporting on all things vegtastic. God Bless.
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A) Thank you 🙂
B) I hope you’re serious, because that would be one hell of an amazing job.
C) I was going to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, but it looks like it was quite an amazing one! -
we went to Akasha. It was good not great. Good portions but the tofu was forgetful. btw don’t recall seeing this place recommended for the holiday. ;-(
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miss anthrope November 27th, 2009 at 17:04
@Kelly: Ah, that’s too bad about your meal! 🙁
BTW, both akasha and madeleine bistro were in our thanksgiving post for reccommended holiday meals…
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Eleahoo Joobavich November 10th, 2010 at 20:54
Wow…over the top overpriced. 15 bucks for a tofu scramble and the same for a seitan sandwich?
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Cory California November 23rd, 2010 at 20:48
I love your blog! I read it all the time through facebook.. My question is: Do ANY of these restaurants publish the nutritional content of their menu items? I hate eating these glorious vegan meals without knowing what exactly is in them.
These donuts look amazing! Nutritional facts? Also, are there any places aside from the green temple and zephyr cafe near 90731 that offer very very healthy vegan foods? Desserts are what matter most to me!
Thanks sweetheart!
<3 Veg 4 LIFE!!
Cory California
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vegan and vegetarian thanksgiving holiday meals in los angeles 2010 | quarrygirl.com November 12th, 2010 at 19:51
[…] we attended madeleine bistro’s thanksgiving day brunch last year, and it was one of the most m… i highly recommend it. i am hoping they have the thanksgiving day sandwich again this year: herbed seitan, cranberry mayo, caramelized onions and gravy. it was so good! thanksgiving sandwich: herbed seitan, cranberry mayo, caramelized onions, gravy. $15 […]
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[…] jump –>madeleine bistro (open for thanksgiving, plus meals to go and a special bistro box) this is my personal go to vegan thanksgiving celebration. the holiday food they come up with is ridiculously tasty, and they pull out all the stops. the […]
Foodeater November 26th, 2009 at 20:43